Meet the teen who started a successful clothing brand while still in high school
In 2017, Eli Zied was still in high school, and like most of his peers, he dreamed of turning his passion for buying and reselling clothes into his profession. Three years later, the 18-year-old has partnered with his brother Spencer, 21, to create his own clothing brand, Habits 365, which has been donned by the likes of boxer Floyd Mayweather, NBA All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, and rapper DaBaby.
“I’ve always been into shoes and clothes my whole life. So I was like, I really want to start my own thing, I want people buying my stuff and reselling my stuff,” Eli told Yahoo Finance.
Eli, who is the company’s CEO, says that he wanted to create a brand that offers everyday encouragement, particularly during tough times, hence the name Habits 365.
“Everybody has habits — good and bad, but our brand strictly encourages positivity and good habits year-round, which is definitely needed in this crazy time that we’re living in,” he said.
“You can have your habits; you can wear your habits. I want us not to be just a clothing brand, I want it to be a culture, a game-changer. People need their habits. People need to understand their habits,” he added.
Eli, an incoming freshman at the University of Wisconsin, said he’s astounded by the brand’s success. “I did not expect it to be as big as it is. I thought this was just going to be like a side hustle, but I mean, it’s really becoming my whole life.
The brothers have seen sales of Habits 365 go up almost tenfold since they started advertising on Facebook (FB). Eli tells Yahoo Finance that the brand is on pace for around $30,000 in sales so far, and expects the brand to reach $1 million in revenue by the end of 2020.
NBA All-Star James Harden poses in a habits 365 hoodie.
Though Eli and Spencer, a student at the University of Miami, head up Habits 365, the brand is truly a family affair.
“My dad actually oversees a lot of the logistics in terms of overseeing all the financials just making sure we’re not overspending on the cost and that type of thing, just making sure we don’t screw up.”
The Zieds have done the exact opposite of screwing it up. “In the last two months, we have literally gone from a small brand in the crib to needing a fulfillment center because we’re getting 50 orders a day.”
Zied might be the head of a thriving company, but he’s not losing sight of his education.
“It doesn’t matter if I make $10 million on this brand … a college degree is so important. My parents are like, ‘You gotta get your college degree.’ And one of the reasons I’m staying motivated is because since I was in 10th grade, I’ve been doing school and doing the business at the same time and still doing well in school. So I’m really good at multitasking and time management.”
Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade.
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